Microsoft Surface selling ‘modestly’ says Ballmer

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has revealed that the Microsoft Surface tablet has been selling “modestly” since the October 26 Microsoft Surface release date.

The Microsoft boss was speaking to French publication Le Parisien when he claimed that sales have started “modestly” for the 10-inch Windows 8 RT tablet. This despite the fact that the Microsoft Surface has experienced shortages in the weeks following its launch.

Ballmer cited problems with the Microsoft Surface supply chain as a factor in constrained sales. The tablet is only available from the online Microsoft Store and through Microsoft’s dedicated shops – of which there are none outside the Americas, and the vast majority of which are in the US.

The Microsoft Surface has been attracting mixed reviews since its launch, with its unorthodox keyboard-cover peripheral, fresh design and stripped back Windows 8 RT OS splitting opinion like no other tablet before.

Ballmer didn’t mention exact sales figures for the Microsoft Surface, but opted instead to draw attention to the incoming Microsoft Surface for Windows 8 Pro. He called the new version “high-end” and “unique,” and drew attention to its Intel processor and higher definition display.

The Microsoft Surface for Windows 8 Pro will run on the full version of the new Windows 8 OS, precisely as it does on your desktop computer. This means that, unlike Windows 8 RT on the current Microsoft Surface, you’ll be able to run applications from outside the Microsoft ecosystem.